The Minns Labor Government has sought a technical review of feral pig and deer management to build on the historic levels of success that have seen almost a quarter of a million pigs culled across NSW in the past three years.
Minister for Agriculture, Tara Moriarty has announced following the Government’s record $40 million investment in the program, the appointment of a feral pig coordinator and implementation of the Biosecurity Action Plan, the Government is doing even more to support farmers across NSW.
The success of the program, which has seen some 240,000 feral pigs controlled over the past three years, has been built on increased aerial culling, a huge free bait program, and the promotion of landholders working together to address the common problem.
Responding to feral pigs and pests is a key part of the Minns Government’s $1 billion biosecurity program designed to protect the State’s $25 billion primary industries sectors.
The Government will continue to work with landholders who have responsibility to manage feral pests on their properties.
To ensure the Government can continue to build on the success of its pest control program, Minister Moriarty has tasked the Independent Biosecurity Commissioner, Dr Katherine Clift, to investigate ways to further improve feral pig and deer management in NSW.
Minister Moriarty will be requesting the Independent Commissioner to consider and recommend actions that will:
- Examine the best available tools and techniques for controlling feral pigs and deer at a regional scale, including new and emerging technologies.
- Work through the challenges of delivering feral pest programs across different landscapes and land tenures
- Increase landholder participation in regional programs, to ensure landholders deliver on their biosecurity duty and improve the success of on-ground management efforts including trapping and baiting.
Preliminary advice will be delivered to the NSW Government in June 2026 and a final report will be delivered in October 2026.
The review comes in the wake of another highly successful aerial shooting operation which removed 2,276 feral pigs over five days in the Mungery and Dandaloo area, near the Bogan River, an hour west of Dubbo.
The Government’s Local Land Services carried out the shoot across more than 149,000 hectares of land, including private farmland and publicly managed travelling stock reserves and State Forest.
Since 2023, coordinated aerial shooting, trapping and baiting programs in this area has seen more than two tonnes of baited grain provided to landholders and undertaken three aerial shooting programs.
Over the next two months, Local Land Services is planning to undertake another 17 aerial shooting operations in different locations across NSW, targeting feral pigs and other pest animals.
Aerial shooting is a key component of coordinated control programs, that follows months of work being undertaken with primary control measures such as baiting and trapping.
These primary control methods are currently the most effective at reducing large feral pig numbers, with aerial shooting used in combination to address any remaining pigs.
Local Land Services helps facilitate broadscale, cross-tenure pest animal control programs across NSW in line with Regional Strategic Pest Animal Management Plans, working closely with landholders to coordinate control efforts.
Minister for Agriculture and Regional NSW, Tara Moriarty, said:
“The NSW Government’s feral pig and pest program is culling more pigs than ever before but there is still more work to be done.
“The recent arial shoot west of Dubbo demonstrates that feral pigs will continue to be a problem particularly when conditions are favorable and numbers are increasing.
“We are supporting landowners to carry out coordinated ground control before and after the aerial shoot, to deliver best practice pest animal management.
“Dr Katherine Clift’s review into our feral pig program is an important next step in making sure we are getting the most out of the program.
“The findings will help refine how public and private land managers work together, ensuring control programs are consistent, practical and responsive to local needs.”